Home Mendenhall, London: Why can’t we be friends?
Football

Mendenhall, London: Why can’t we be friends?

Chris Graham

Bronco MendenhallIt doesn’t sound like UVA football coach Bronco Mendenhall and his predecessor, Mike London, are the kind to exchange Christmas cards.

Mendenhall was asked at his Monday weekly presser about his contacts with London, now the head coach at William & Mary, Virginia’s Week 2 opponent.

Mendenhall said he didn’t speak with London after London was let go by UVA in 2015, or before Mendenhall came to UVA shortly thereafter.

There was an awards banquet in the offseason this year after London was named coach at William & Mary where the two were able to speak.

Mendenhall said the two did communicate when London was in the process of hiring former UVA quarterback Matt Johns, who was a defensive grad assistant at UVA in 2018.

“Mike was just really professional and first class in his communication with me and where Matt stood and what his process was going to be,” Mendenhall said.

Johns is the inside wide receivers/tight ends coach on London’s staff at W&M.

The two did coach against each other when London was at UVA and Mendenhall was at BYU.

London’s 2013 UVA team, on its way to a 2-10 season, upset BYU on a stormy night in Charlottesville, 16-13.

BYU evened the ledger a year later in Provo with a 41-33 win.

Did the two get to talk any at that time?

“Those conversations were just basically before the kickoff, on the field,” Mendenhall said, adding: “That’s kind of the extent of what our relationship has been.”

Story by Chris Graham

Support AFP




Chris Graham

Chris Graham

Chris Graham is the founder and editor of Augusta Free Press. A 1994 alum of the University of Virginia, Chris is the author and co-author of seven books, including Poverty of Imagination, a memoir published in 2019. For his commentaries on news, sports and politics, go to his YouTube page, TikTok, BlueSky, or subscribe to Substack or his Street Knowledge podcast. Email Chris at [email protected].

Latest News

brian white virginia tech
Etc.

Virginia Tech names Florida Atlantic AD Brian White as the new director of athletics

trash middle river augusta county
Local

Augusta County: Illegal dumping becomes somebody else’s problem

Somebody too lazy to take their trash to one of the many dump sites in Augusta County created one of their own on Bald Rock Road near Verona. A volunteer with Friends of the Middle River happened upon the scene on Monday, in the vicinity of the location where somebody dumped 100 used tires last...

missing person
Local

Missing person alert: Augusta County man last seen on June 11

The Augusta County Sheriff’s Office is requesting assistance with locating Paul Lavelle Hassett Jr., 72, who was last seen around June 11 at his Staunton residence, and was reported missing today by a family member.

joe tiroly uva baseball
Baseball

UVA Baseball: Four ‘Hoos get invites to the 2026 MLB Draft Combine

augusta county sheriff's office
Local

Augusta County: Teen fled cops, twice, last week, and they still can’t find him

jay huff uva basketball
Basketball

Jay Huff, Jacob Gilyard named to the USA Men’s World Cup Qualifying Team

data center technology networking
Politics, Virginia

Poll: Virginia residents make it clear where they stand on data centers